Viability of grass seed

Asked August 11, 2017, 3:20 PM EDT

I have a large bin of 19 year old grass seed that I want to use in an area where trees were removed. How do I know if it is still good without wasting precious time trying it in the yard, please? Thank you, Mary

1 Response

You could check the viability by putting a layer between two wet paper towels, like in a cake pan and putting it in a warm place until it germinates. Keep checking it daily and don't let it dry out. You will then have to decide what the percentage of germination is roughly and decide if it is worth using. I would be inclined to think that it probably isn't any good anymore. Here is a link that you can look at. http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/how-test-your-stored-seed-germination-0